Return of the Ancients
by spacecrazegirly
Summary: AU. Two sides, both unknown to the public, are at war. The human hunters are calling up powerful soldiers, while the supernatural world is hoping for a miracle. The return of a forgotten race may give them the power to protect themselves. When a hunter learns more about the supernatural world, he begins to question his loyalties, and wonders which side he'll fight for. Zolu.
1. Chapter 1

When Zoro, one of the best hunters in the city, first laid eyes on the vampire, he had no idea what he was looking at. The kid could barely pass for eighteen and was leaning over the counter of a bar at a restaurant, looking very conspicuous in a bright red hoodie and an out of place straw hat resting on his back. Zoro raised his eyebrow and glanced at his partner, Usopp.

"Is this really who we're looking for?" He asked, as the waiter placed a heaping plate in front of their target. "He looks like a high school kid."

"That's what the report says," Usopp said, pausing when another waiter came to their table and took their orders. "Shame he was turned so young. He was first sighted last weekend. We want to get him out of the picture before the local coven picks him up of he joins a clan."

"You know how old he is?"

"Nope. Never seen him before." Usopp said, shaking his head. "We think he arrived in town just recently. It's a common occurrence for new vamps, especially ones that young. They want to get away from parents, friends, girlfriends… you get the point."

"Yeah," Zoro said, frowning slightly and glancing back over at the vampire. To his surprise, the kid had already finished his meal, and was currently demanding more. The blond waiter looked annoyed, but took the empty one and vanished into the kitchen, returning with another plate just as full as the first.

"How much do vampires eat?" Zoro asked, tearing his eyes away and looking back to Usopp.

"I didn't think they could eat," Usopp said. "They drink blood, right?"

Their orders came, and the two hunters turned their attention to eating for the moment. The vampire had already finished his second plate, and was waving at the blond waiter again. The waiter seemed to glare and shook his head. The vampire pouted as the waiter took the plate away.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, waiting for him to leave. Usopp seemed enthralled in his coffee rather than their mission, so the green haired man quickly turned his gaze away from their prey to get his attention. When he looked back at the vampire, was met with an empty bar stool. He was gone.

"Where'd he go?" Usopp asked, as the two of them scrambled to their feet. Zoro grabbed a handful of bills from his pocket and dumped them on the table before he and Usopp quickly left the building. As soon as the cool night air hit them they split up and circled the building.

"Shit," Zoro muttered, meeting back up with Usopp at the back of the restaurant. "We lost him. Those bastards can move fast."

"Well," Usopp sighed, sounding slightly relieved. "He's gone."

"We don't know he's gone yet," Zoro said, resting a hand on one of his hidden swords. "Keep looking. What else did intelligence get on him?"

"Nothing. We barely know what he looks like, we don't know of any alliances he's made, or even how old he is. We think he's young, but that's based off of assumptions and other vampires we've caught."

"That's helpful," Zoro muttered sarcastically, spinning when he heard a noise to his left. He narrowed his eyes, half expecting a cat to come running out of the darkness.

What he didn't expect was a pair of luminescent red eyes staring at him from the shadows of the building. He drew his sword and pointed it at the vampire, who slowly stepped out of the shadows and grinned.

"Are you guys hunters?" He asked. His voice was still cracking, indicating he hadn't finished puberty when he was turned.

"How do you know about hunters?" Zoro asked. They were a top secret organization. It was almost unheard of that even the supernatural creatures knew of them. Or so they believed.

The kid grinned again, unnerving Zoro. "You really stand out. It's not hard to spot or smell you." He said, eyeing up Zoro's sword. It made the hunter feel slightly self-conscious. He didn't know much about the social tendencies of supernatural creatures. Those he met usually ended up on the wrong end of his sword before they could chat.

Zoro raised his blade. Vampires were fast, but that was the only thing they had going for them. The vampire glanced at the blade again, and took a step back, still smiling. Zoro stopped hesitating, taking a quick step forward and striking. The vampire vanished from his sight the second the sword started moving. He appeared half a second later, crouched on the blade.

Zoro's eyes widened and he pulled back. The vampire jumped down, landing in another crouch. Zoro grabbed another sword, but by the time it was fully drawn, the vampire was gone. Usopp had his rifle out and was hastily trying to load silver bullets as he looked around in panic.

"He's gone," Zoro said, straightening and sheathing his swords. "And silver is for werewolves. Not vampires. You want wood."

"I knew that," Usopp said, giving up and letting the shells clatter to the ground before kneeling and scooping them up.

"Sure you did." Zoro said, taking a calming breath. "We should get back to headquarters and report what happened."

"Smoker's going to be mad." Usopp said. "He was very adamant we get rid of him."

"I'm sure we'll see him again," Zoro said, staring off in the direction the vampire had vanished in. The kid intrigued him. He was a vampire, but at the same time he seemed to have a semblance of intelligence in him. Most of the vampires he had taken down had never spoken. Only growled and hissed.

"Are you coming?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. Sure." He followed his partner out from behind the restaurant and into the well-lit street. Zoro made a note of the restaurant's name, intent on returning and talking to the waiter that had served the vampire.

* * *

Luffy watched the pair of hunters leave the back alley from the top of the restaurant. He stayed away from the glowing sign. The green haired hunter looked really cool, and if he had seen correctly, had more than two swords. He wondered how he held them all. The long nose, curly haired hunter seemed interesting as well.

He jumped from the roof of the restaurant to the neighboring building, still following them. If he was right, and they were hunters, learning where their base of operations was would be crucial information. His brother, who was part of the local coven, had once told him that if they were found it would be safer for all the creatures of the night. But that was years ago. He hit the roof, laying flat on his stomach, when the green haired hunter looked up in his direction.

Still… He cautiously peeked over the edge to make sure it was safe to keep moving. To his disappointment, they stopped at an ordinary looking apartment a few blocks away. He had been in that apartment before. No secret hunter association there.

Oh well. He would keep following them.

* * *

**Tell me if you like it :). This is just something I'm doing to get over me writer's block, and I've got the first 4 chapters done. **


	2. Chapter 2

"I don't get it," Usopp said the next afternoon, as he sat on their ratty couch. Books were piled around him. "Why would Smoker make us do something as boring as look up all the old legends? It's not a punishment. I was expecting worse. Last time we were pulled out of the field and had to do desk work for a month."

"We're still assigned to catch him," Zoro pointed out. "And we didn't screw up too bad. He just caught us off guard. Besides, we know next to nothing about him. Now we know he's tricky and probably older than we originally thought. Maybe we'll think of something while looking up the origins and shit."

"You mean I'll think of something," Usopp said, looking pointedly at the bottle of alcohol in Zoro's hand and his position sprawled out on the couch. "Why don't you help me?"

"You look like you've got it," Zoro said, waving his bottle and taking a drink. "I want to see that kid again. I've met a fair amount of his kind in the past few years. None of them acted like him."

Usopp sighed and closed the book. A cloud of dust erupted when he set it on the stack. "I'd rather someone else catch him."

"Are you scared?" Zoro laughed.

"No way!" Usopp snapped. "It's just that I–"

"Don't want to come face to face with that vampire again," Zoro finished for him.

Usopp didn't answer, huffing in annoyance and picking up another book. He opened it, ignoring Zoro in favour of reading and trying to translate the Old English.

"Hey, Zoro," Usopp said after a while. "What do you know about the Ancient One?"

Zoro blinked at the abrupt question, and then shrugged. "As much as anyone, I suppose. He lived thousands of years ago. Some say he was the first vampire to ever live, after he became one by drinking the blood of the people he murdered. What about it?"

Usopp tapped the book in front of him, "This book goes into detail about that legend. Do you think he's still alive today?"

"How the hell should I know?" Zoro asked. "Probably not. It's an old legend. Some say he wasn't real. Besides, no one's heard of him since those legends came to be. I don't believe it, if that's what you're asking. Stop fussing."

"Yeah, sure." He went back to his book. He read late into the night and fell asleep leaning against the foot of the couch.

Zoro woke him up the next morning. "Come on, we're going to be late to the meeting."

Blearily, Usopp staggered to his feet. He didn't bother showering, tying a brown headband over his hair to keep his curls out of his face. He thought he saw someone in the parking garage as he followed Zoro to the car, but Zoro didn't react, so he dismissed it.

* * *

Smoker sat at the head of the table, and the hunters chose seats around him. Usopp waved at his friend Franky and sat beside their newest recruit, Coby. The young hunter visible trembling as their superior glared at them.

"Don't worry," Usopp whispered in Coby's ear. "He's not that bad. This your first meeting?"

The teenager nodded, "What are these meetings usually like?"

"Just an exchange of information," Usopp said. "Me n' Zoro requested some info on vampires yesterday, so we're hoping to get something out of it. If not, we just go out again tonight and find our target."

"I heard about that. Wasn't he supposed to be easy?"

Zoro yanked out a chair on the other side of Coby, the pink haired boy jumping at the loud sound in the otherwise quiet room. "Never assume things will be easy. We underestimated him, is all. We still have time to stake him."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't ask for that job," Coby said. "Helmeppo chose a different case."

They fell silent when Smoker cleared his throat loudly and looked at the people gathered. "As you know, there has been an increase in the population of the supernatural in the past year. We've been seeing new creatures walk the streets at night, and sometimes in broad daylight." He gazed around the room. "It's our job to make sure these creatures do not harm the general public. Since their numbers have increased, we need to fix that."

"That doesn't sound _supar, _Chief," Franky said.

"No. In fact, our last inspection received… Less than adequate results. We're having someone from the high council come by for a few months. He and his team will be arriving next Thursday. I expect all of you to welcome him, and make sure you finish all your missions by the deadlines." He narrowed his eyes at Zoro and Usopp. "If you need help, don't be hesitant to ask."

Zoro yawned, while Usopp sat up as straight as he could.

Smoker grabbed one of the folders sitting in front of him and slid it down the table. It came to a rest in front of Usopp, who picked it up and flipped through it. "That's what we could find pertaining to your request," Smoker told him. "You'll have to look through the documents yourself if you're looking for anything more specific."

"Thank you, sir." Usopp said, tucking the folder into his bag.

Smoker stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. Usopp tucked the folder safely into his bag and making his way out of the meeting room and into the lobby. Zoro followed him, yawning.

"That was boring," He commented. "As usual."

"You just never pay attention," Usopp muttered, grabbing Zoro's elbow and steering him towards the doors when he started heading in the wrong direction.

* * *

Luffy ducked behind a grey van when the two hunters passed him, freezing when the long nosed man looked in his direction. He stayed where he was until he heard a car start and leave the parking garage. He peeked out and watched it leave, before leaving. He tried to follow it, but it would have brought attention from unwanted people. Besides, he though, squinting and shading his eyes from the sun, he found it hard to track in the bright light.

He turned into an alley and found a set of stairs leading down. He climbed down and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a dark haired man. "Whadda you want?"

"Access to the tunnels." Luffy said shortly, curling his upper lip slightly. Just enough to reveal his fangs.

The man nodded and stepped aside, allowing Luffy into the smoky and dark room. Shadows and silhouettes bordered the room, and there were many bodies dotting the floor, some of them moaning, and others with needles in their arms. They were ignored as the man led Luffy to a door at the back of the room. "Just keep going straight and you'll end up in the main tunnel."

Luffy nodded and opened the door. He heard it close as he ventured into the darkness. A few minutes later, the black changed to grey, and the tunnel opened up into a larger one. He immediately veered to the right to avoid crashing into a troll on a moped.

Creatures of all shape and form crowded the tunnel, moving in all directions. Luffy weaved through the crowds, drawing curses from some of the older demons. He ignored them with practiced ease and found a familiar route, ducking into the passage and grinning when he found the door leading to the basement of the Baratie.

He pushed the door open and slipped inside. "Hi, Robin."

The witch looked up from her book and offered a small smile. "Good morning, Luffy."

"Is Sanji working?" Luffy asked.

"I believe so." Robin said, nodding.

"Great," Luffy said, darting to the stairs. "I'll see you later." He dashed up the stairs and emerged in the alley behind the restaurant. He used the side entrance and slipped into a barstool in front of the blond human. "Sanji, food."

The blond turned at the voice and grimaced. "You've got to pay your tab."

"I know. I see my Dad next week. I'll pay it then."

Sanji sighed and waved to the cooks. Not long after that, a large platter of breakfast food was placed in front of the grinning vampire. He would have started eating with his hands if Sanji hadn't shoved a fork in his hands. "Please have a little bit of courtesy. This is a public place."

Luffy tried to speak around his mouthful, but Sanji ignored him and started clearing tables. He wasn't surprised to see the plate empty when he returned. He just added it to his tray full of dishes.

He expected the vampire to demand more, but when he started to address him, he noticed the strange expression on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked instead.

"Hunters."

Sanji glanced around the nearly empty restaurant, the calm before the lunch rush, and pulled out a cigarette. "What about them? I don't see anyone else here."

"There were two here last night," Luffy said. "They followed me outside."

"Hunters usually go after your kind," Sanji pointed out. "Just get rid of them."

"Yeah, I know. It's just, they followed me outside. From in here. That means they knew what I was before I met them."

Sanji lowered his cigarette. "Shit. That means the council knows about you. What are you going to do?"

"I'll have to be more careful," Luffy said, twirling his fork. "And I'll probably have to warn Dad. If the council got word that he was in town…" They both shuddered. "Maybe I'll go talk to Ace. He might know something."

Sanji nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. You could also get Nami to spy on them, if you can afford it."

Luffy shook his head, "I don't have enough money. I'll keep an eye on them myself. You be careful too. They saw us together. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I just won't do anything that'll draw any attention to me," Sanji said. "All they know is you're another customer I have to serve. Besides, if I die so will Robin, and there's no way I'm letting that happen."

Luffy nodded, more confidently this time. "Alright. Now that it's settled, more food!"

* * *

The vampire walked out of the restaurant feeling satisfied, after giving Sanji another warning to be careful. Sanji promised, and said that he'd pass on the message to the other members of their clan. He returned to the tunnels and made his way downtown.

He surfaced, making a face as the noises assaulted his ears. He started walking, shoving his hands in his pockets. He bumped into someone, and apologized quickly before sprinting across the road and stopping in front of a large business office.

He had to squint in the light to read the sign, and then pushed open the door when he confirmed he was in the right place.

The woman at the front desk looked up at the intrusion. "Do you have an appointment?"

Luffy sniffed the air discreetly. Nymph. "I'm here to see Ace. Tell him Luffy's here."

She nodded and picked up the phone. Luffy waited impatiently until the elevator at the far wall opened and revealed another vampire. "Luffy, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I need to talk to you," Luffy said, "It's important."

Ace caught the urgent tone in his brother's voice and nodded, leading him to the elevator. They rode in silence until they got to Ace's office. Luffy sat on the desk, not caring of papers fell to the floor. "Hunters."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "They're common in New York."

"They're after me." Luffy said.

Ace's bemused expression dropped instantly, "How?"

"I don't know." Luffy said, as Ace began to pace.

"Didn't your Dad warn you to be careful?"

"I am," Luffy insisted. "Well, I was."

"Was?" Ace stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at the younger. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they knew I was a vampire. I could hear some of their conversation. And I…" He looked away sheepishly. "I talked to them."

Ace slapped a hand to his forehead, "You moron."

"Yeah."

Ace started pacing again, "I don't think I can do anything about them without blowing our cover. Pops put a lot of work into his company."

"I know," Luffy assured him. "I just wanted to know how much info you have on them, and if you could let me look at it. I'm going to avoid them until they lose interest, but to do that I need to know their movements."

Ace looked torn, before shaking his head. "I don't have much. We just know the movements of the high council, not this branch."

"Damn," Luffy muttered. "Do you know anyone I can go to for that information?"

"Your father would be the only one I can think of. But even then, I'm not sure. He's not from here, so I don't think he'd waste the time. He can walk in the light, so it deters any hunters from suspecting him, even if he does show the other signs of being a vampire."

"…What if I do that? Walk past them in the sun?"

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Ace asked. "You've already revealed yourself to them. If they see you in the sun, and report back and it'll be bad for our kind. We're not the usual vampires they're used to."

"I know, I know," Luffy sighed. "What should I do?"

"I don't know. I'd say stick with your plan and avoid them. Do you know where they live?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Just stay away from there. We don't know where the hunters in this city meet, but if you find out, please tell us as soon as you can."

"Yeah, yeah. Got it. You've given me that lecture before."

Ace smiled and reached out to ruffle Luffy's hair. "This worries me, be careful. And keep your clan safe too."

* * *

Luffy left, choosing to take the subway home instead of trying to use the tunnels. The later afternoon was prime time for traveling for demons and other creatures, and stuffing himself in a crowded subway was better than being cursed at and shoved around.

Once he got to the restaurant, he descended the back stairs and joined Robin. Nami had arrived, the woman stretching her wings and folding them under her loose jacket. "Nami, can I ask you a favour?"

"How much have you got?" She asked.

"Uh…"

"Then no."

Luffy pouted. "When's everyone meeting here?"

"Seven," Robin answered. "Is this about the hunters? I heard that there are more coming to the city soon."

"More?" Luffy's eyes widened, not questioning the witch's knowledge. "When?"

"Just over a week from now." She answered, laying her book on her lap. Luffy gave her his full attention. It wasn't often she left the safety of the pages. "The lower clans are scared because a lot of their members are going missing."

Luffy bit his lip and glanced towards the door leading to the tunnels. He willed it to open and his other friends to come in. "How many?"

"There have been twenty seven disappearances today." She answered. "The hunters are really getting dirty. I wonder how long it will be until they find the tunnels."

"Aren't the disguised with that spell?" Luffy asked. "The diss… illusionment?"

"Disillusion." Nami corrected. "And yes, because I'm the one who covers our door. I can talk to the elder sidhe if you want, warn them."

"They don't like you, though." Luffy pointed out.

Nami narrowed her eyes and held up her fist menacingly. Luffy wisely backed off. "I do have a few connections." Nami said. "So, what are we going to do when they get here? It's not like we can hide down here until they're gone."

"I did hear something about battle," Robin said. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. "That's what Lady Maris just said. But so far my coven and you are the only ones who are aware of their arrival."

"We'll plan when everyone's here." Luffy said, and the two women in the room nodded in agreement.

* * *

The course of action they had decided on for the moment was blending in. Most of them were humanoid, other than the chimera Chopper, and the necromancy accident Brook. Sanji agreed to warn any supernatural creatures that entered the restaurant, and Nami started spreading rumors. By the next Monday, most creatures knew of the High Council's arrival and were taking the proper precautions. The tunnels were almost empty when Luffy ran through them, heading towards the apartment the two hunters lived in.

Nami fluttered above him for a few miles, and turned off into another tunnel before he reached his destination. Luffy cautiously surfaced, pulling his hat over his eyes to block the sun before clambering up the steep stairwell and onto the sidewalk. He reached the apartment, the dirty red bricks glowing in the red sunset. He darted into the alley and wedged his fingers between the bricks, beginning to climb. He made it to the roof less than a minute later and closed his eyes, letting his hearing and smell take over.

There were lots of scents in the air, but he caught the telltale scent of gunpowder coming from a room to his left and down a few floors. He followed the scent, and ended up upside down above a window. It was open a crack, and Luffy could hear voices.

* * *

"Come on, Zoro," Usopp complained. "We've been looking for days. We're not going to find him. He probably skipped town after he saw us."

"I don't believe that," Zoro said, his hands supporting a book instead of a bottle of alcohol. "We need to find him to complete this mission and get paid. The rent's due next week."

Usopp stared at him with distaste. "You only get interested in a case when it affects your money for booze."

"Shut up," Zoro muttered, turning a page. "We have a week left. If the Chief doesn't think we can catch a simple vampire there's no way he's going to give us the big cases anymore."

"Or when you're pride is at stake," Usopp rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning his gun, separating the bullets into easily accessed magazines and making sure his gunpowder was waterproofed. "What I'm worried about is that visit from High Council. Remember what that vampire said? We're easy to spot. I don't think we're as secret as we're led to believe. What if they try and track us down?"

"I don't think they're smart enough to do that. Hey, what's a Borne?"

"No idea. Why?"

Zoro held up the book in his hands. It was old too, probably older than the rest of the books they had. At the top of the page, written in fancy script, was the word Zoro had just asked about. "Just says they're offspring of something powerful. Doesn't say what."

Usopp shrugged. "Probably just an old legend too. Those kind of books aren't very unreliable. They don't list any sources."

"That would have been helpful to know before I started reading it," Zoro said, slamming the book shut and tossing it on the coffee table. He stood. "I'm going for a walk."

"Don't get lost," Usopp said.

* * *

The cool air was a relief, and cleared his nose of the moldy smell that followed those books around. He shoved his hands in his pocket and set off towards the waterfront. But he ended up at the park. He stopped walking and turned in a full circle. There was no way he could be here. He knew where the waterfront was.

He paused his search for a second, feeling a strange presence at his right. He slowly turned his head in that direction and was met with a smiling kid. No. It was the vampire from the other night. But he didn't look like a vampire at the moment. His previously red eyes were currently brown. The kid grinned, and his fangs were still there.

Zoro reached for one of his swords, but cursed when he realized he didn't bring them with him.

"Don't worry," The vampire said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"What are you doing here?" Zoro demanded.

"I followed you," He said.

"Why?"

"Because you're interesting."

Zoro narrowed his eyes and tensed, ready to fight. But the other's stance indicated he wasn't going to fight. Zoro didn't lower his guard, though. "Why?"

The vampire tilted his head. "You say why a lot. Can't you just believe me? I like people."

Zoro glared, "Eating them, maybe."

"But I don't kill." He said. And then he was gone. Zoro spun wildly, and was stopped when a strong hand caught his upper arm. He could feel warm breath next to his neck, and yanked his arm out of the vampire's hand.

"What the hell was that?" Zoro demanded, holding a hand to his neck. He pulled it back half a second later, surprised to feel warm wetness and see blood.

"That didn't hurt, did it?" The vampire laughed, wiping a smear of blood off his chin. His eyes were red again. "I told you, I don't kill. I could erase your memory, too, now."

"Now?"

The vampire grinned, "I can erase your memory as long as I've got your blood in my system. I bet you didn't know that."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Cause I want to know what you're going to do now. I bet your council didn't know that about vampires. Are you going to tell them?"

Zoro stood to his full height. "So why did you do it? Why tell me?"

"Because I know the council won't believe you. And 'cause I like you, hunter. What's your name?"

Zoro stared at the vampire in front of him. He had told Usopp he wanted to talk to the vampire, and now that he had the chance he couldn't think of a thing to say. He thought back to the questions Usopp had asked on the first night of their investigation.

"How old are you?" He asked, his mouth only catching up with his mind after the question was asked.

"You have to answer my question first," The vampire said. "It's only fair."

Zoro hesitated, but decided to answer, "Zoro. Roronoa Zoro."

"That's a cool name!" The vampire exclaimed.

"Now you answer my question." Zoro demanded.

"Alright. One hundred and nine."

"How long have you been a vampire?"

"It's my turn to ask a question now," Luffy whined. "Who's that long nosed guy that was with you?"

Zoro grimaced, but said, "Usopp," with hesitation. If his partner knew he gave his name to a vampire, he'd flip.

"That's a cool name too," The vampire laughed. "I've been like this my whole life." He said.

"How the hell is that possible?!" Zoro exclaimed.

The vampire pouted, "I can't tell you that. It's a secret," He held a finger to his lips. "But that's alright. I've got to go, anyway. I hope I'll see you again."

Zoro blinked, and the creature was gone. He braced himself, expecting the vampire to take another bite, but after a few seconds of nothing happening, he relaxed and tried to get back to his apartment. He ended up hailing a cab.

* * *

"WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GET THAT?" Usopp shrieked the second he walked through the door.

Zoro raised a hand to his neck, momentarily forgetting his wound. His short conversation with the vampire playing over and over in his mind. He should have tried to kill him. Behead him, break his neck. But… He felt strange around him. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. "I forgot about this."

Usopp yanked him into the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit. Zoro set himself in a chair while Usopp began disinfecting the bite mark. "I hope you killed him, at least."

"It was him, the one from the restaurant." Zoro said.

Usopp paused momentarily, and then moved on to bandaging his neck. "So is our mission finished? I think this is the first injury you've gotten this year."

"No, he's not dead yet."

"You didn't get the chance?"

"No, I…" Zoro tried to tell Usopp that he didn't think he could kill him, but he couldn't express his emotions into words. "I just couldn't. I don't think I was hypnotized, or anything, but… It's weird."

Usopp sighed, "That's not helpful."

"I did get some information about him, though."

"Oh?" Usopp still didn't sound impressed, as he began repacking the medical kit.

"He's over a hundred years old, and he claims that he's been a vampire his whole life."

"That's impossible." Usopp declared. "He had to have been turned when he was a teenager. But if his age is right, it explains why we're having a hard time with him."

"Vampires can also erase a person's memory, as long as they have their victim's blood in their system."

"I didn't know that," Usopp said.

"That's what he said too, he said that the council didn't know either. He threatened to erase mine too."

"But he hasn't?"

"He said I was interesting."

Usopp almost blanched, "Since when does a vampire think we're interesting? We're trying to kill them."

Zoro just shrugged, and felt his newly applied bandages. It was still bothering him, the fact that he was bitten and yet he didn't feel a thing. He pinched the skin, and felt a sharp stab of pain. So unless the vampire excreted a fast acting numbing agent, that was out of the question. He just hoped the vampire didn't give him any of his blood.

* * *

"I talked with him," Luffy told Sanji. "The hunter. He said his name was Zoro."

"Stupid name," Sanji said.

"I think it's cool," Luffy said. "And his partner's name was Usopp."

"That's a stupid name too."

"Food!"

"No."

"Aww."

"Get back to the point of this."

Luffy sighed and looked over his clan. He had been called strange in the past for having a clan composed of different creatures. It was almost unheard of to form one with creatures that weren't the same kind as you. But Luffy had pushed that unwritten rule out the window when he recruited his friends.

Chopper glanced around nervously. "Are we going to be okay?"

Luffy laughed and scooped up the reindeer chimera, placing him on his lap. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you guys."

"What did you get from your conversation?" Robin asked.

"Mmm," Luffy thought back, "He was nervous, but not scared. He also smelled strange. Not like ordinary humans, but… his emotions were going crazy. It was kinda weird. But I got the name of him and his partner."

"Did you tell him about us?"

Luffy shook his head, "Not yet. I want to keep watching him. Ace warned me to stay away, but I'm going to pass that order on to you. I know they're not going to hesitate to kill you guys."

"And he's trying to kill you," Brook pointed out. "He has no reason to go after us, as long as we stay out of his way. But he'd go out of his way for you. You did say he was after you, right?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, so?"

"How much do you know about hunter etiquette?" Robin asked. Luffy just shrugged. "They are given missions they have to complete. If they're after you, that means you've been deemed a threat by the council and they want you out of the picture."

The others in the basement looked horrified. Chopper clung to Luffy, "Be careful. I don't wanna go back to that clan. I like it here with you."

"I'm not going anywhere," Luffy promised.

* * *

The hunters all stood at attention as a large man entered the building, followed by an entourage of high class hunters in matching uniforms. Smoker saluted. "Welcome to the New York Division, Captain Akainu."


	3. Chapter 3

Luffy sensed him the moment he stepped into the city. He shivered involuntarily, pausing and moving to the side of the tunnel. He placed a hand against the water dampened cement and closed his eyes. Yes, there was a powerful hunter in the city now, even more so than the chief of the local group.

He started running, glad that the tunnels were almost empty. After spreading the rumor, many creatures fled town or stopped traveling. He made it to the door to their lair in a few minutes, and burst through. He counted the people quickly, and only Sanji was missing. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"He's here. And he's strong."

Chopper squealed in fear and ducked behind Robin's chair. The rest of them adopted worried expressions. Nami adjusted her sweater and Robin lowered her book so the Latin title wasn't visible.

"So are we still going to stick to the plan, and not draw any attention to ourselves?" Nami asked.

Slowly, Luffy nodded. "Yeah. I don't want anything to happen to you guys. I… I wouldn't be able to…" He trailed off, shivering again. "Make sure to always have contact, in case someone needs help."

Everyone nodded. Robin actually closed her book. Nami whispered into her hand and threw something upwards, a shower of glimmering sparks settling around the walls and ceiling. "Extra warding," She explained. "Haredas gave it to me when I went to warn him last week."

Luffy nodded, "How long does it last?"

"Three days. I'll have to recast the spell then."

"Good. I have to go, but you stay here. Tell Sanji when he gets down. He can bring you food and stuff."

"Where are you going?" Chopper asked.

"I have to meet my Dad. He's still coming."

* * *

Luffy waited until five to actually reach their meeting place, reaching the small grove of trees in the middle of the park and slipping inside. He could feel the wards settle on his skin as he passed them, concealing himself from human sight.

As soon as the ward was in place, his sight changed from an empty grove of trees into a walled courtroom. He blinked a few times as people in dark cloaks began to come into focus. He began walking forward, keeping his posture straight and not making eye contact.

He got a few stares, but did his best to ignore them. He knew that half-bloods weren't considered proper, despite what his father said. But despite his best efforts to ignore them, it was hard to shake off the stares of the Ancient Ones.

He spotted his father at the back of the room, and quickened his pace.

"Luffy," Dragon greeted stoically.

Luffy bowed his head slightly, and followed his father into a side room.

"I trust you've heard the news," He said, as soon as the two of them were alone.

"Yeah," Luffy nodded. "Head hunter dude in town."

"What have you done about your clan? Are they still in the city, or have you left?"

"We're staying." Luffy answered.

Dragon nodded in approval. "Good."

Luffy blinked, confused, "How is that a good thing?"

"It means you're not backing off and fleeing like prey." Dragon said. "What are you going to do about them? This is going to be your territory soon. You need to learn what to do with intruders."

"I was just going to wait them out," Luffy said hesitantly, "Wait until they're gone."

Dragon narrowed his eyes slightly. "That isn't a good way to dominate your territory, my son."

"What do you want me to do?" Luffy asked. "And I thought this was Newgate's territory."

"It is at the moment, because I asked him to watch it in my place. But it will be yours when you come of age. You need to learn."

Luffy frowned, "You want me to attack?"

"Not quite," Dragon said. "A straight out attack will get you and your friends killed, despite your origins. I want you to think."

Luffy hesitated again. "So, like catch him off guard, or by himself?"

Dragon was nodding. "Yes."

"Which one?"

"Whichever one you want. Talk it over with your clan. It is fortunate you have a range of abilities." He glanced at the doorway with distaste. "Having only one of a kind is a bad idea, because if they know how to counter you, they can counter all of the clan and you'll all end up dead."

Luffy followed Dragon's gaze and watched the black cloaked Ancients wander around. "Alright. I'll talk to them tomorrow, and we'll figure something out."

Dragon nodded again, "That is also a good idea."

"When are you going to be in New York again?" Luffy asked, as Dragon stood up and reached into his cloak.

"Two months, on the next new moon. We will be here again." He withdrew his hand, now holding a small pack, and handed it to Luffy. "Take care of your clan. I will see you soon."

Luffy took that as being dismissed, and left the as quickly as he could. He exited the courtroom, feeling the ward leave his skin and began making his way back to his lair.

* * *

Zoro hated these ceremonies. He didn't give a shit of the man in front of him was important. He just wanted to get back to his apartment and continue searching for that damned kid. Vampire. He supposed the vampire wasn't a kid anymore, if he was telling the truth about his age.

The man that entered the building was very large and had a grimace permanently stuck on his face. He could see Usopp trembling beside him, and when the High Council member finally vanished into the back room, the long nosed boy let out a loud breath of relief.

"Dismissed!" Chief Smoker said loudly.

There was a scramble as the hunters left the building. Usopp grabbed Zoro and beat the rest of them to the front doors. Once they were out of the crowd, Usopp released Zoro. "Come on, let's get home. I don't want anyone seeing the bandages." Zoro placed a hand on his neck, the collar on the shirt he had on doing an adequate job of hiding his bite mark. "I still don't see why you don't want to write the report and turn over the case to one of the higher class officials. Any vampire over half a century old is considered extremely dangerous."

"I want to finish this myself." He said.

"Yeah? Well, you have until Friday. Saturday is when we're due to report in and the case will be transferred anyway. I'm handing in the report on Friday to save us some embarrassment."

"Sure," Zoro muttered, only half listening.

* * *

Luffy found that most of the tunnel entrances were closed off and locked. He shouldn't have been surprised. Most of the people who owned the businesses on top of the main tunnel were regular commuters. Which meant they heard the rumors. And even if they didn't, not many creatures would want to come within a mile of the strong presence Luffy was feeling.

Only the older vampires and experienced creatures would risk it.

"Go away," Luffy got lucky on the fifth door he tried.

"I need to get to the tunnels," Luffy insisted. "Let me in."

"No way, brat. You should have left town when you had the chance. There's no way a single vampire can last against the council."

"Just let me through," Luffy demanded, contemplating using his authority. He decided against it. He had kept his bloodline a secret for so long, and he didn't know how the others would react when they learned the Ancients were still around. He huffed, gave the man the finger, and headed into the nearest alley.

He didn't want to get caught outside, especially now that there was a possibility of a regular patrol. He stayed in the shadows, keeping as quiet as he could. He darted across a street, and entered a pitch black alley across from a residential area. He vaguely recognized it. He took a break, leaning against the wall and letting his senses tell him where he was.

His eyes flew open when he registered another person in the alley. He spun towards the man, who had done well to evade his senses. Luffy cautiously tasted the air. Human. Whoever was with him was human.

A shape detached itself from the rest of the shadows and moved towards him. Luffy dropped into a crouch and hissed, his eyes glowing red and his fangs elongated. His warning didn't send the human running, as it usually would have. The shape kept getting closer, each of his steps echoing quietly in the quiet alley.

Luffy backed away, getting ready to run. If his warning didn't scare him off, then he was probably aware of the supernatural world. Which meant the man was probably a hunter. Luffy tossed his bag and hat to the side, crouched even lower, and sprung. He didn't aim for the man, rather the fire escape above him. He grabbed the railing and flipped over it, coming over the opposite side and aiming a kick at the back of the man's head.

Suddenly, the man's head wasn't there anymore, and Luffy's foot hit empty air. At least, for a few seconds. Something equally large grabbed his leg. A hand, Luffy realized as the fingers closed around his calf. He was yanked from the fire escape and slammed harshly to the ground. Luffy braced for impact, arching his back when he hit, and rolled backwards. Away from his attacker.

He knelt in darkness, his eyes darting from side to side. The man was still at the street end of the alley, and hadn't moved. A beam of light hit his face, and Luffy instinctively raised a hand to block it.

"Interesting creatures," The man said. "You hate the light. Why is that?"

Luffy didn't answer, backing away and hitting a wall. He pressed his foot against the wall and pushed forward, using the extra momentum to launch himself across the alley and at the man. He struck his shoulder, the man moving enough to avoid a blow to his neck. "Finicky, too. How long ago were you turned? The records say that you're brand new."

Luffy frowned. They had records on him?

"And new vampires tend to overestimate their power." Luffy sensed an arm coming in his direction and dodged it, revealing his unnatural speed. He grabbed the hand and sank his fangs into the rough skin. Flesh ripped as the man tore his hand away. Luffy coughed, spitting out the mouthful of blood he got.

"Does it taste bad?" The man asked, laughing. "I hope so."

"What the hell are you?" Luffy demanded, spitting again. "You're human."

"You speak?" The man actually sounded surprised. "I thought a bite took away your humanity."

"There's a lot you don't know about my kind," Luffy said, standing up straight and looking the man in the eye. Now that they were closer to the street, he could make out more of his features. He was massive for a human. The flower tattoo on his neck and shoulder looked out of place. "What do you know?"

There wasn't even a second before Luffy felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. "I know you feel pain," The man whispered. Luffy backed away as fast as he could, dislodging the object imbedded in his gut. He clasped his hands over it and cursed himself for letting down his guard. He thought he startled the hunter enough to get away. Apparently not.

He braced himself against the wall, feeling warm liquid seep through his shirt. "Bastard," He hissed.

"I find it strange. A dead man still feels pain. And you bleed. I know it's not yours. You don't have a heart to beat it."

Luffy slumped against the wall and lowered his head. The man continued to laugh, and Luffy heard him moving about. He sprung again, actually taking the man off guard, and got his teeth into the man's neck. He clamped down hard, tasting the foul blood as it poured into his mouth. He felt the man beneath him flail violently, and something was slammed against his hand. He felt the pain a moment later, but refused to release his grip. Finally, something slammed into the back of his head, and he tumbled off backwards. Something sharp was pressed to his throat.

"Beheading, a stake to the heart, and sunlight," The man growled. "Those are the only things that can kill a vampire."

Luffy panted, not daring to move.

"Out of those three, being burned alive is the most painful."

Luffy thought it was best to mention that the sunlight didn't actually affect him. He stared above him, and for the first time realized that the man was giving off an ominous presence. The same one he felt that morning. "Shit," He coughed out, turning his head to the side and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He cried out when something was driven into his hand. He opened his eyes to see a short blade pinning his hand to the ground. His other hand was moved and impaled the same way. Luffy bit his lip to try and muffle his cry of pain, but all it did was make him draw blood.

The man finally moved away. "The sun rises in eight hours. And I doubt anyone's willing to help a scavenger like you."

Luffy tried to growl, but nothing came out.

"I'll come back for my swords in the morning," He said, turning away. Thought his pain filled haze, Luffy could sense the man's presence moving away, until it could be ignored. But all that did was turn his attention back to his wounds. He gritted his teeth against the pain and tried to move his hands, but he only succeeded in hurting himself even more.

* * *

Usopp was the one who heard the scream, and shot up in a panic. "What was that?!"

Zoro looked up from cleaning his swords, "How the hell should I know?"

"Go out and check," Usopp demanded, pointing at the door.

"No way. It's too late." Zoro said, laying down his second sword beside his first and picking up his third. "Probably something that got caught by one of those new hunters."

"What if it was the hunter that screamed? I don't want to die!" Usopp complained.

"Suck it up." Zoro muttered. "Someone will probably call the police. That'll scare whatever it was away."

"Just go," Usopp said, pointing towards the door again.

Zoro sighed, "Just let me finish this one, and then I'll go."

Usopp finally nodded, and waited impatiently for Zoro to sheath his sword. He stood up five minutes later and hooked his white Wado Ichimonji to his belt. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Zoro left the fidgeting Usopp alone and walked outside. He paused, sensing something strange near him. His bite mark throbbed slightly, and he curled his hand around the Wado's hilt. He slowly crossed the street and approached the dark alley created by two apartments across from his own.

He had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but he could smell the iron tang of blood in the air. The second he could see clearly enough, he spotted a human shaped figure lying on the ground. He released his sword and knelt down beside him. "Hey," He whispered, and then had to stifle a gasp of horror when he saw the blades stuck through his hands.

There was a groan of pain, and Zoro was beginning to think that the screaming Usopp claimed to have heard was real. He dug a penlight out of his pocket and shined it on the blade, sticking it in his mouth and using one hand to hold down the other's wrist before yanking the blade out.

He pressed a hand over the other's mouth to keep him quiet as he groaned in pain again. He shone the light on the man's face and Zoro promptly dropped the dagger. It clattered noisily to the ground, and the vampire winced. Zoro took a deep breath and shone the light on his face again. It was definitely him.

"What the hell happened to you?" Zoro asked rhetorically, as the boy curled his hand into a fist and brought it to his chest.

He didn't expect a reply, but the vampire cracked open one eye. "You…" It was barely a whisper.

Zoro moved on to the other hand, leaving the blades on the pavement. His hand wandered to the hilt of his sword, but he didn't draw it. He watched the vampire roll onto his side and curl into a ball. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked. "I know you can hear me. Answer me."

The vampire opened one eye again, squinting in the light of the penlight. "Attacked." He bit out.

"By who?"

"…Don't know." He closed his eye again, and Zoro sighed. He placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder and lifted him into a sitting position. "Wha–" He tried to pull away.

"This is going against everything I've ever been taught," Zoro muttered, "But I'm going to help you. So stay still."

"Put the daggers back." The vampire said a few minutes later, after Zoro had torn strips of cloth from his shirt and staunched most of the bleeding from his hands.

"What?"

"In the… where they were," He wheezed. "I don't… want to see… him… If he thinks I'm… dead, he won't go after me… or my clan." He slumped forward in Zoro's grasp, his energy drained. Zoro moved the penlight's beam across the ground and spotted the indents in the ground that the daggers created. He laid the vampire down carefully and did as he said, pressing the blades back in the holes.

He didn't know what good it would do the vampire, and he had no idea what had transpired between him and the man who was able to take him down, but whoever it was, he had to be powerful. He went back to the vampire and carefully picked him up, cradling him against his chest.

He had to be careful going back into the building. But he got lucky and the only person he ran into was the drunken old security guard. She waved him through the door and hiccupped.

Zoro reached his floor and banged on his door with his foot. He heard Usopp shuffling around behind the door and banged again impatiently, and finally the door opened. Usopp stared at the bloody person in Zoro's arms for half a second, before scrambling backwards with unintelligible cursing.

"Shut up and get the medical kit," Zoro snapped, setting the kid down on their kitchen table.

Usopp reappeared with their emergency kit, a bigger one than the one under the sink. "Where did you find him?"

"He's the one who screamed," Zoro sighed, grabbing a cloth from the sink and started cleaning the blood off his face.

Usopp paled when he realized who he was looking at. "The vampire?"

"Yes," Zoro said. "Now shut up and help him." Zoro nodded pointedly to his hands, dripping blood onto the white tiles.

"But we're supposed to kill him!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Just do it!" Zoro shouted, pulling off the makeshift bandages and revealing one of the stab wounds.

Usopp just stared at it in shock, before ordering Zoro to hold his hand steady while he stitched the wound shut. He sterilized the needle and began the procedure. He moved on to the other hand and repeated the process.

"Are there any more injuries?" Usopp asked, as he finished wrapping his hands in bandages.

"Probably," Zoro said. "He said he was attacked before he passed out. I want to find out what's strong enough to take out a hundred year old vampire."

"Shit," Usopp whispered, shaking his head. "I don't think I want to know." He cut the red hoodie off the vampire. "And there's another one."

Zoro looked over and noticed the stab wound to his stomach. "Great." His sarcasm was tangible.

Usopp got to work again, and when he finished the table was covered in blood. Usopp peeled off his gloves, "Done." He grabbed a new garbage bag and began tossing the materials he used into it. "What are you going to do now?"

Zoro stared at the still figure on their table. Blood stained his face and arms, and his face was screwed up in pain despite being unconscious. "Write the report that we've killed our target."

"You're going to kill him now?" Usopp asked. "After we patched him up?"

"Don't be stupid," Zoro said. "I think he marked me, so if he dies something's going to happen to me."

"He _marked_ you?" Usopp asked, sounding fearful. "How the hell do you know? I thought you had to accept the mark before he could give it to you."

"Apparently not," Zoro muttered, rubbing his neck. "I could feel him when I got close earlier."

Usopp threw his arms up in exasperation. "We've just sunk past screwed. What's going to happen when the Chief finds out? He's going to kill you."

Zoro shook his head, "I don't think he knows about the marking either, if it's even that. Maybe it's different. We are learning a lot more from him than we ever did from the books. If we keep him around, maybe we'll find out more."

"This is going to get us killed." Usopp muttered. "Get him off the table so I can clean it. I'm not having the landlord inspect this place looking like a murder happened here. When he wakes up, get him to take off that mark."

Zoro picked him up again and brought him to his own room, laying him down on the bed. It was a good thing that the sheets and duvet were black, because the blood would have stained any other colour.

He locked the door when he left, and returned to the kitchen to help Usopp clean up the mess. Usopp was almost finished, wiping the table down with bleach before tossing the cloth into the garbage as well.

"What are we going to do for blood?" Usopp asked. "They can't drink animal blood, and I don't think the hospitals will be willing to hand us a few pints. Asking Smoker would just make us suspicious, and I'm sure as hell not giving up any of mine."

"I'll give him mine," Zoro said. "Come on, it's late and we have to report in tomorrow morning."

"Like hell I'm sleeping with a vampire in the next room." Usopp muttered, tying off the bag and tossing it under the sink.


	4. Chapter 4

Usopp wrote the report that morning, including the details that Zoro included. "Daggers through its hand? That sounds unusual. Someone must have gotten to it before you did." Smoker seemed satisfied, glad that they had gotten their target on time. "Cutting it close, boys." He warned. "There are no missions currently, because there seems to be a lack of monsters. I'll inform you as soon as there's one available."

Both hunters nodded in silence and were dismissed. On their way out, they passed by Captain Akainu, and Zoro had to suppress a shiver. The man was surrounded by an air of superiority, and Zoro didn't understand his fear of it.

He was glad when they emerged. Usopp glanced at him strangely, but Zoro was so relieved to be out of the man's presence that he didn't care.

"Can you get back by yourself?" Usopp asked.

"Sure, why?"

"I'm not in the mood to cook, considering last night's events in the kitchen. I'm going to pick up takeout for lunch."

"Sounds good." Zoro said, as Usopp turned a corner while Zoro kept going straight. He could see the top of his building from here, so as long as he kept the building in his sight he would be fine. It took him nearly half an hour to get back though, and Usopp was waiting impatiently outside the door. "Why aren't you inside?"

"I don't want to be alone with him," Usopp said. Zoro rolled his eyes and unlocked the front door.

* * *

Luffy woke up with a start, feeling the warm sun on his face. He squinted and rolled onto his side, away from the light. His fingers brushed unfamiliar cloth and his eyes shot open despite the sun. He was lying in an unfamiliar bed, but the scent was very familiar. He sat up all the way and swung his feet over the side of the bed. His bare feet touched beige carpet and he tried to stand. A sharp pain his gut stopped him from moving quickly, and he had to grab onto the nearby dresser to pull himself up completely.

He spotted his sandals on the floor beside him and his hat and bag his father gave him on the dresser.

Where the hell was he? There was no phone in the room, so he couldn't call any of his friends for help. He struggled to the door and tried it. Locked. He swore under his breath and pressed an ear to the door, letting his other senses fade. He could hear various voices in the apartments around him, but nothing right in front of him.

He tried the door again, debating just breaking it down. He pushed it lightly and heard it creak. So it wasn't very good quality. He slammed a foot into the wood close to the doorknob, and the door flew open, crashing into the far wall with a bang that echoed in the empty apartment. Luffy froze for a minute before relaxing and making his way into the hall. He braced himself on the wall, most movement jarring any of his three injuries. He smelled blood when he found the kitchen. His own. He examined his bandages and remembered the hunter, Zoro, had found him in the alley. How?

He heard the door open and tensed, backing away from the sound. Laughter could be heard, from both hunters, and a mouthwatering smell reached his nose.

* * *

Zoro stiffened the moment he stepped foot into the apartment. He could sense that the vampire was awake and had moved. "Hold it, Usopp."

"What's wrong?" Usopp asked. He followed Zoro's gaze to the entranceway to the kitchen.

Zoro didn't answer right away. He moved forward slowly and peered into the kitchen, meeting the angry gaze of the vampire he brought home the night before.

Usopp followed him and jumped when he saw him. "I thought you locked him in your room!"

"I did." Zoro said, narrowing his eyes. He could see that the vampire was using their table to hold himself up, and was visibly shaking. "You might want to sit down before you fall."

"Shut up," He glared, and attempted to stand up straighter. He winced in pain and grabbed at his stomach.

Zoro moved forward and went to grab him, but the vampire jerked away and stumbled. Zoro reached out and caught his arm, preventing him from falling to the ground. "I told you." He said, grabbing the vampire's other arm and restraining him. The hunter knew that if the vampire wasn't injured like this, he would have the upper hand. But since he was currently in this situation he felt no pity taking advantage.

The vampire tried to struggle, but gave up and almost doubled over, his face pained again. Usopp cowered in the corner while Zoro dragged the struggling vampire to the couch. He tossed him onto one of the cushions and crossed his arms. "Stop resisting."

"Shut it. I need to get back." He tried to move but sunk back into the couch in pain.

"It's sunny out right now." Zoro said, nodding at the curtained covered window. "There's no way you'd be able to get where you want to go."

The vampire matched his gaze, "You left the window open in your room." The phrase was random and Zoro adopted a confused expression. The vampire smirked. "Sunlight doesn't bother me as much as it does regular vampires."

They could hear Usopp's squeak from the kitchen. "Either way, you can't move." Zoro said, rolling his eyes at Usopp. "I want to know what happened."

The vampire crossed his arms. "I think you already know."

"You were attacked. I want details."

"Screw you." He shot back.

Zoro just shrugged, "You're not going anywhere until I get answers." He left the vampire in the living room and joined Usopp in the kitchen. "Stop hiding. I'm hungry, and the food's getting cold." He started digging in the bags on the table, pulling out a steaming container and making himself a plate. Usopp did too.

"Why are you making two?"

"I'm pretty sure the vampire can eat." Zoro said.

"He needs blood, not food." Usopp said.

"Remember the first night we saw him?"

Usopp nodded reluctantly and opted to stay in the kitchen while Zoro brought the plate out to the vampire. He hadn't moved from his place on the couch, but he looked irritated. He perked up slightly at the sight of the food.

Zoro placed the vampire's plate on the coffee table and handed him a fork, which he took without a word and began eating.

"Last night you said you had a clan." The vampire stopped eating for a second.

"So? It's illogical to be solo in a place like this."

"That means there are more vampires like you. Ones that claim they can walk in the light."

The vampire laughed and shook his head, resuming stuffing his face. "There's only one other person like me in the world. My clan is made up of a sidhe, a chimera, a witch, a necromancer, and a human."

Zoro blinked at the range of creatures. "I thought the sidhe were extinct," Was the only thing he could think of to say. "Wait, you have a human in your clan?"

The vampire nodded.

"Isn't that… I don't know, forbidden?"

"It's frowned upon," The vampire said, placing his empty plate on the table. "But not forbidden. You hunters are just ignorant of our social standings."

"Can you tell me?"

"No way." He shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Because you're a hunter."

"Didn't stop you before." Zoro said, "When you mentioned erasing memories."

"I thought that was common sense." The vampire said. "How else are we supposed to keep our kind a secret from the humans?"

"Killing them?" Zoro asked as if it were the most obvious answer.

"We try and avoid killing as much as we can." The vampire said. "I haven't. Some of the older vampires have, but most of the time it's not intentional." He fixed Zoro with an accusing gaze, "Why do you kill us?"

"Vampires are abominations."

"Not just vampires, but every creature in our world. Most of them are harmless."

"There's always potential for danger."

The vampire laughed humorlessly. "What about humans? Humans are the top reason for the death of humans, even compared to every supernatural creature combined."

Zoro tried to retort, but found he couldn't. He just glared when the vampire grinned smugly at him. He just got up and brought the dishes to the kitchen.

"He makes a very good point," Usopp said. "Think you can get him in here? I need to change his bandages."

* * *

Nami paced in the lair, unable to keep still. "He should be back by now." She said, knotting her hands together and turning another corner. "He left yesterday afternoon. He said he'd be back after night fall."

"Maybe he was trapped somewhere because of the hunters," Robin suggested.

"I don't like this…" Chopper whispered, clinging to Sanji.

"The shitty leader can take care of himself." Sanji said. "Stop worrying."

"What if something happened with his father?" Nami continued. "We have no idea who he is. We don't even know where he went!"

"Don't worry, Nami my sweet," Sanji said. "I'll keep an eye above ground. With the lack of anyone in the city, we can narrow the suspects down, if he was attacked."

His words did nothing to calm her down. "What if the hunters got him?"

"Do you really think he's that stupid?" Sanji asked, but then frowned. "He did say he was going to follow them…"

"I'll fly around tonight," Nami decided. "I'll find him."

"No," Robin said firmly. "Remember what he said? It's dangerous for our kind to leave our lair right now. If anything happens to you, we won't have the extra wards we do now."

Nami slumped into an overstuffed armchair and pressed her hands to her face. "I just hope he comes back soon."

A loud bang from above them had everyone looking up. Dust and dirt rained from the ceiling. "…What was that?" Brook asked.

"I don't wanna know…" Chopper replied.

* * *

Zoro left without any previous warning, leaving Usopp in charge of babysitting the vampire. Said vampire was currently sleeping on the couch, and the hunter was in the kitchen with a stake clutched tightly in his hand.

He wasn't scared. Nope. He was just taking precautions. He knew the vampire wouldn't be able to attack him. The vampire needed him. Just because Zoro was out getting more bandages didn't mean that he was defenseless. He didn't need to rely on the swordsman to protect him. Not at all.

To try and calm his nerves, he turned on the TV. The extra sound calming some of his nerves. The news was covering a mysterious explosion at a nearby restaurant, which was chalked up to some bad piping underground. Only one person declared missing, a cook. No names were released.

When it turned to cover a recent sports game he heard shuffling. He jumped and barely held back a squeal. He slowly turned to see the vampire standing in the entranceway, staring at the screen. "What was that?"

"Wh-what?"

"The restaurant that blew up." The vampire said. "What was it called? Who was hurt?"

"I…" Usopp tried to keep his voice steady. "I think the restaurant was called the Baratie. And it didn't say who was missing…" He inched away from the vampire, who was struggling to move forward.

Usopp shot out of his chair the second the vampire reached the table and hit the power, turning the TV off. "You shouldn't be moving," He warned from the other side of the room.

"Shut the fuck up," The vampire growled, eyes flashing red. "They… They… There were there! I can't… They… Can't…"

The front door opened, and Usopp shouted for Zoro, "He's moving! And he's freaking out! And a little too close for comfort."

Zoro appeared in the doorway empty handed. He grabbed the vampire and yanked him away from Usopp. "Let me go," The vampire demanded angrily. "I'll kill you if you don't let me go right now."

"Somehow, I don't think you'd be able to," Zoro said.

"I HAVE TO SEE IF THEY'RE ALIVE!" He bit into the arm around his neck, and Zoro cursed. This time, his bite did hurt. He grabbed a handful of the vampire's dark hair and pulled back.

"Usopp, I couldn't find the damn pharmacy. You're going to have to get the medical supplies."

"On it." Usopp was out the door within seconds, not even questioning why Zoro had left to get medical supplies, of all things.

Zoro slammed the vampire against the wall as soon as he let up on his arm, and was startled to see his eyes red. Not his irises, which were currently brown, but bloodshot eyes. He was holding back tears.

"Who?" Zoro asked. The vampire spit in his face. A mouthful of blood. Zoro didn't flinch. "Who?" He repeated.

The vampire refused to answer, so Zoro dragged him back into the hall and found a pair of steel cuffs. The vampire didn't struggle as his hands were restrained and he was brought back to the bedroom. Zoro took note of the door barely hanging by its hinges and shoved the vampire through the doorway.

"Check." The vampire said.

"What?"

"Check to see if they're alive," The vampire said. "Please…" His voice broke.

Zoro sighed, "Who are they?" Maybe he would answer when he wasn't being as stubborn.

"Sanji…" The vampire whispered. "He's… He's the human. He's missing. Find him. Ask Zeff."

"Who?"

"Zeff."

Zoro examined the pleading look on the vampire's face and sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

The vampire's face lit up, and Zoro felt slightly unnerved. It didn't look out of place, but seeing it on a vampire was unnerving. He closed the door, making a mental note to get Usopp to fix it, before heading back to the living room.

Usopp was back. Apparently the pharmacy was closer than he thought. Usopp placed the plastic bag on the coffee table. "Where is he?"

"Out of commission for now. He might be cooperative later. Do you know anyone named Zeff?"

"Zeff? That was the name of the restaurant owner."

"What?"

"Oh, you didn't see it, did you?" Usopp nodded at the TV in the kitchen. "There was an explosion at the Baratie a few hours ago. Zeff owned that restaurant. Why?"

"I think the vampire knows him. Next time we're by, we need to talk to him."

"We have the vampire, can't you just ask him?"

"He wants me to see if his friends are alive. You heard him shouting, right?"

"I think the whole floor heard him shouting." Usopp muttered. "Well, we can swing by tomorrow morning."

"We?"

"We do have a job." Usopp said. "Don't you ever look at the schedule?"

"Nope."

"Then it's a good thing you have me." Usopp said, looking unimpressed.

* * *

Zoro opened the door to his room the next morning, after having spent a night on the couch, to see the vampire sprawled out on top of the duvet, the morning sun shining from the window onto the bed. And the vampire.

"Wow. He was actually telling the truth." Zoro said to himself. "Oi, wake up."

"Go 'way, Nami." The vampire mumbled, pulling his hands over his face.

"I'm not Nami," Zoro said. "Me 'n Usopp are heading out soon, and you're coming with us."

The vampire blinked, and sat up. "Oh. You. I forgot about that."

"Just come out."

The vampire complied. Zoro sat him at one of the chairs and undid the cuffs. The vampire flexed his hands, wincing slightly. Zoro grabbed one of his hands and began removing the bandages.

The skin beneath the bandage was a light pink, and there were still a few scabs present. Usopp grabbed his new medical supplies and ordered the vampire to hold still while he removed the stitches. His hands were rewrapped, Usopp examined the wound in his stomach and declared it in the same condition his hands were in. It was re-treated, the vampire was given a shirt, and they led him out of the apartment. Zoro kept a firm grip on the vampire's wrist until they reached their car.

"Put the child lock on," Zoro told Usopp. "I don't want him jumping out while we're driving."

* * *

Luffy tried the doors once the child lock was turned on and was disappointed to find that they wouldn't open. Of course, he could have just pulled off the door if he were in better condition. He settled for crossing his arms and leaning against the seat. He placed his feet on the back of the passenger seat and wondered where they were going.

He would have asked, but his mind was focused on other things. His friends. He had no idea if they got out or not. Sanji was missing. And no one knew about his other friends except Zeff. And his father, but he had no idea where the ancients were now.

He felt the car slow to a stop, and pushed himself up, looking out the window. "Why are we here?"

"It's the remains of the Baratie."

The vampire grabbed the handle the second the name of the restaurant left the hunter's mouth.

It wouldn't open. Zoro opened the door for him and the vampire was out the door and running towards an old, blond man with an impressive mustache.

"Zeff!"

The blond man, Zeff, turned around at his name. "Luffy! What are you doing here? What happened to you?"

The vampire, apparently named Luffy, stopped in front of the man. "Where are they? Were they…"

Zeff shook his head and lowered his voice. "There weren't any bodies."

The look of relief that crossed his face made Zoro feel happy too, relief coursing through his body, even though he had no reason to feel that way. He decided to approach, drawing the old man's attention.

"Who's this?" He asked the vampire, Luffy.

Luffy glanced back, "They… They helped me. Do you know where they are?"

"Do they… know?" He asked, nodding at Zoro. When Luffy nodded, Zeff shook his head. "I'd suggest looking around underground. Don't come around for a while. The explosion was caused by hunters. Now tell me, what happened to you?"

Luffy shoved his bandaged hands into his pockets, "I was attacked."

"Are they targeting you?"

Luffy shrugged. "No idea. Dad said to be careful, though." He turned to Zoro, "How many people from the council arrived yesterday?"

"Not many… I shouldn't be telling you this."

Zeff shot Zoro a suspicious glare, and Luffy slowly nodded again. "Kay. If you see any of them, warn them to stay underground unless they have to come up. It's hard to get down once they're on the surface."

"I will. You be careful too, Luffy. I don't think your father would be happy to know you've gotten hurt."

"Dad's not going to be here for another two months. He's not going to find out."

"Still." Zeff warned. "If you see them first, tell Sanji to be careful too. Humans aren't very welcome in the underground."

"He's part of my clan," Luffy said sharply, "And everyone knows it. They won't risk going after him when I'm still alive."

His tone left no room for argument, and Zeff just nodded. "I suppose I won't be seeing you for a while."

"We're going to be late," Usopp whispered to Zoro, who placed a firm hand on Luffy's shoulder. Luffy frowned, annoyed, but said his farewells to Zeff and allowed himself to be led back to the car.

* * *

Zoro noted that the vampire was quiet the entire ride, and he doubted that he would be leaving. Just for assurance though, He grabbed the cuffs he had brought along and chained one of his hands to the armrest. The vampire still didn't say a word, and Zoro was confused by the contemplative look on his face.

He himself was feeling anxious, and he assumed that the emotions were coming from the mark. So that's what the vampire was feeling.

He left when Usopp yelled at him to hurry up, and Zoro was glad that the windows of their car were tinted. Less questions, like why there was a person chained in the back seat.

The meeting was boring, as usual, but there was more emphasis on the recent decline in the supernatural population. Usopp listened intently, but Zoro focused on the emotions that weren't his.

"We're wondering if there was a leak," Smoker was saying, "Because the number of creatures in this city is almost nonexistent. If anyone notices anyone acting strange, inform me right away."

"You put too much trust in your subordinates, Smoker," Akainu said from his place next to the door. Zoro examined the man from the council, and stiffened when he noticed two daggers hanging from his belt. They looked very similar to the ones he saw last night. The hilt was covered in blood.


	5. Chapter 5

Luffy could feel the presence of the man who attacked him. He sank as low as he could in the seat, and ended up crouched behind the passenger seat. His right arm was still above his seat, and he tried to pull off the other end of the cuff off of the armrest. No luck, and he only succeeded in aggravating his hand.

He cursed silently as he watched the white bandages slowly turn red. He stilled, keeping his ears open. The hunters had parked the car on the street and left. He tried to watch where they went, but they had turned down another street and Luffy lost sight of them.

He was alone for about an hour, the two hunters reappearing and climbing into the car without a word. Luffy watched them curiously, burning with curiosity. They had just gone to New York's hunter headquarters. If he could find out where they'd just been, he could have told Ace, and… Ace!

"Hey," Luffy started, getting shushed in response. He ignored it and continued talking. "Can I use your phone?"

"Don't have one," Zoro grunted.

Luffy tried crossing his arms, his restrained hand getting in the way. They pulled up in the apartment parking garage soon after. When they returned to the apartment, Usopp changed his bandages, and Luffy was confined to the couch.

Bored, he picked up one of the books stacked within reach.

"Where'd you get these?" Luffy asked.

Usopp, the only one in the room, looked up. "The library at headquarters." He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Why?"

Luffy shrugged, turning a page. "They're hard to get ahold of. I'm just wondering how you guys got them."

"You know them?"

"Sure. My Dad has a lot of them."

"Father?" Usopp repeated. "You mean the one who turned you?"

"No, my Dad." Luffy said. "He made me read them as a kid."

"Who is your father?" Usopp asked. "Is he a vampire too? Can he walk in the sunlight?"

"Yeah."

"How is that?" Usopp asked. "No normal vampire can do that, they just burn. Why?"

"Dunno. Dad explained it to me once, but I can't remember all the big words he said."

"How many others are like you?"

Luffy shrugged. "I've only met one other than me." He sat up, resting the open book on the armrest of the couch. "I'm a hybrid. My Dad's kind don't like mingling with others, they think they're better than everyone else."

"You're… A hybrid of what?"

Luffy grinned, pressing a finger to his lips. "Can't tell you that."

"So you're not a vampire? You act just like them."

"So?"

"Do you need blood? You bit Zoro."

"Yeah. And I didn't hurt him."

"You marked him, though."

Luffy looked confused. "I can't mark people. That's strictly vampire. Not me."

Usopp sighed and leaned back. "You're strange."

Luffy just grinned. "I've gotten that before."

Luff went back to the book, flipping through pages faster than Usopp thought was possible. They were written in Old English, which was a bitch to translate.

He was scared, but the vampire, or whatever he was, was secured and couldn't leave the couch.

"So where is the hunter's council?" The question came out of nowhere and Usopp almost answered it.

"It's… I can't tell you!"

The vampire laughed, "Worth a try."

"Where's Newgate's lair?"

"I can't tell you." The vampire stuck out his tongue, looking very childish.

"Do you even know?"

"Sure. It's not that big a secret. Almost everyone who's not human knows."

Usopp frowned. That was unusual behavior. "Why?"

"Why not?" Luffy replied. "You humans are strange."

Usopp snorted, but didn't answer. He was having a civilized conversation with a savage beast. Or at least a creature he was taught was a savage beast. "… Zoro mentioned you had a variety of… underlings. You're the leader of a clan, right?"

"They're not my underlings," Luffy said sharply. "They're my friends."

"Tell me about them."

Luffy looked at the hunter strangely, but began talking. Usopp was amazed at what he said. He described a group of people that were all incredibly different. "How do you work together?"

"Everyone has a job," Luffy said. "If everyone could only do one thing, no one would get anything done. That's why I don't care about having a clan of all my kind."

"Kinda impossible, if what you say about your kind is true." Usopp commented.

"So that's why I don't. Besides, we all get along. And no one wants to fight us."

"Are you guys that powerful?"

"Sure."

"So why are you so afraid of hunters?"

Usopp knew he said something wrong when Luffy narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth slightly. The aggression wasn't aimed at him, but it was still terrifying to see his fangs descend. Luffy's hands curled into fists, and Usopp immediately grabbed them, not wanting him to start bleeding again.

He held on tight, carefully watching the vampire's face. He relaxed, his fangs disappearing and the red in his eyes fading. "You alright?" Usopp froze for a moment when he felt something strange under his fingers." What's…? This is a pulse."

Luffy blinked. "Course."

"You're alive?!"

Luffy blinked at him, "Yeah. I thought you knew that."

"Vampires are corpses."

"But I just told you I'm not a vampire."

Usopp stood up and released Luffy's wrists. He didn't say a word as he headed to the kitchen and sat down out of the vampire's sight. The vampire didn't say anything, and after a few moments he heard the turning of pages again.

* * *

He stayed out of sight until Zoro came out of his room, yawning. "Were you talking to him? I thought you were too scared to go near him."

"Be quiet," Usopp muttered. "I got a lot out of him."

"Oh?"

"He's not a vampire."

"Well, we knew that already. He can walk in the sunlight."

"I thought you were going to do some research on his kind." Usopp accused.

"I'm getting to that."

Usopp sighed, "He said there's only one other person like him, and that he's a hybrid."

"Of what?"

"No idea. He wouldn't tell me that. Whatever his parents are, or were, they're probably closely connected to the vampire."

"Are there any species like that?"

Usopp shrugged, "Not in recent times. He says he's only a hundred years old. That would mean the species would have to be something known, right?"

"I can hear everything you're saying!" The vampire called from the other room.

Zoro walked to the doorway. "Then tell us."

"But then you'd tell your council, and Dad doesn't want that to happen."

Zoro crossed his arms. "The council thinks you're dead."

Their guest was silent for a moment. "So then why am I still here?"

"I want to know. And I'm going to know."

Usopp heard the rattle of chains and a low growl. He risked a peek into the living room to see the vampire on his feet and straining at the chain, pulled taunt. "Why?" He hissed out.

"Curiosity." Zoro replied.

The chain rattled loudly again, "You stupid humans, thinking you can do whatever the hell you want. I have a life, and I need to get back to it!"

"What do creatures like you even do?"

There was a snapping sound, and Usopp had to dive out of the way to avoid being barreled over when the vampire crashed into Zoro. The two of them hit the tiled floor, the vampire grabbing a handful of Zoro's shirt, aiming a fist at his face. Zoro barely managed to move his head out of the way, the fist grazing his cheek rather than breaking his nose.

Luffy didn't give him any time to recuperate, diving towards his neck, fangs out. He bit hard into Zoro's shoulder. Blood spilled onto the white, tiled floor before Zoro managed to get a handful of Luffy's hair, yanking him back. The vampire winced as Zoro tightened his grip, grabbing one of the swords resting in the corner.

Luffy lashed out with one of his hands, raking his nails across Zoro's face. Zoro dropped his sword in favour of grabbing the remains of the chain, slamming his arm to the ground. The vampire was pulled down with it, but he just used a foot to knock the blade away.

Zoro shoved him to the ground, a hand on the back of his neck keeping him in place. He underestimated the kid's flexibility when he received a foot to the face. The vampire scrambled out of Zoro's grip and disappeared.

Zoro was on his feet an instant later, and Usopp pointed him in the right direction. He found the vampire in the bathroom, a bloody handprint on the mirror. He paused in the doorway, wondering what he was doing.

"Robin?"

_Who was that? _Zoro wondered. The vampire pressed his other hand, closing his eyes and muttering something indistinguishable under his breath.

"Are you there? Robin?" The vampire leaned in close, staring at his own reflection for a few seconds.

Then it flickered, a fuzzy image appearing. "Lu… You?.. Are you?" The voice was disembodied and echoed.

"Robin!" The vampire seemed excited. "You're alright. Where are you? Are you guys alright?"

"Fine… We… Ace's… You?"

"I'm alive. Stay with him. You'll be safer there."

The flickering image of a woman nodded, "…Careful… Hurt…" Before fading completely. Luffy smiled, falling to his knees and resting his forehead against the cabinets. Zoro watched him for a few minutes, wondering who it was he was talking to. He called her Robin. He had heard that name before. And what had just happened was obviously magic.

"Oi," Zoro walked in and grabbed the vampire's arm.

Luffy growled, but Zoro wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Leave me the hell alone."

"'Fraid I can't do that. You're dangerous."

Luffy glanced up, noticing the blood dripping down his face and neck. "So are humans." He held his hands up in surrender, one of the bandages peeled off.

"Fair point." Zoro said, pulling Luffy to his feet. "You scared the crap out of Usopp." Luffy shrugged. "And you're cleaning up the blood this time."

"Only if you take off this stupid chain." Luffy held up his arm.

"As long as you don't attack me again."

Luffy hummed, picking at the bandages. Zoro sat him down in the kitchen, avoiding the puddle of blood.

"You guys done fighting?" Usopp asked timidly, emerging from the living room with the medical kit. "Geez. This is the most I've ever used this thing."

"Yeah." Zoro laughed, taking a seat and holding out his hand towards the vampire's wrist. Luffy held out the chain, and a few seconds later it fell to the table. Luffy rubbed his wrist.

Usopp moved the cuff out of the way and opened the medical kid. He started with Zoro, hesitating when he reached for Luffy's hand. "Don't move." He began unwinding the bandages, frowning. "These haven't healed much. I thought you could heal quickly."

"I can." Luffy said. He examined his free hand, the thin scab a dark red.

"The blades were probably enchanted," Zoro said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're probably going to heal at the rate of an average human."

"What?!"

"Is that an issue? It'll make you lay low until the High Council leaves."

Luffy frowned, watching as Usopp rewrapped his hands. "I need to get to my clan."

"You know where they are? I saw that conversation. I didn't hear a location."

"They're with my brother." He admitted. "They'll be safe there for now. But I still want to see them."

Zoro and Usopp exchanged a look, unsure of what to do.

* * *

Luffy ended up sleeping on the couch, after helping clean up all the blood his and Zoro's fight produced.

"Why'd you take of his restraints?" Usopp asked quietly.

"I think that if we work with him, he's not going to be a problem."

"He's not human," Usopp insisted.

"Maybe not, but he cares about his friends more than some of the hunters seem to."

Usopp seemed taken aback by the statement, glancing at the door. He sighed, "Maybe."

* * *

Ace paced back and forth in his office. "Are you sure it was him? You did say the image wasn't clear."

"I could hear his voice," Robin said calmly. "He seemed fine."

"Did you see where he was?"

Robin pursed her lips, her thin fingers tightening against the edges of her book. "No. But, there was someone with him."

Ace ran a hand over his face, "Did you recognize them?"

Robin shook her head. "No."

Ace looked ready to snap. He turned away and leaned his forehead against the large window overlooking the city. Nami rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "He's stronger than any of us." She said. "And he knows how to hide when he needs to. He does have some strange instincts."

Ace turned his head, a faint and worried smile on his face. "Yeah. I know. Thanks for trying to help. I can't help but worry for him though. I…"

"He's like a brother to you, right?" Nami said gently, squeezing his shoulder and releasing him.

* * *

"Stop picking at those!" Usopp scolded.

"But they're itchy. Why are they itchy?"

"It's healing." Usopp said. "It's supposed to itch. Now stop scratching. You'll just aggravate it."

Luffy huffed and rested his hands on his chest, staring up at the ceiling. His fingers twitched, and he tried to resist the urge to scratch again. It had been a boring two days. He could sense the fear Usopp was emitting, and that was bothering him as well. It mostly went away when Zoro was in the same room, but Luffy had no idea where the other hunter was. And it also sucked that he wasn't allowed to leave the apartment. He could probably get away with only Usopp in the room, but in his current state he wouldn't get very far.

"I'm hungry," Luffy said. Maybe food will help.

The fear escalated, and Usopp scrambled backwards, holding a book as a weapon. "Y-you can wait until Zoro comes back for that…"

Luffy laughed, pushing himself up and sitting cross legged on the couch. "Don't you have any food?"

"Food?" Usopp repeated, and the levels of fear decreased again. "Yeah. Sure. I can do that. I still think we have leftover Chinese in the fridge…"

He left, fully expecting Luffy to stay in the living room. So he nearly dropped the container when he turned around to see him sitting at the table. He sighed and placed the container in front of him, "Here."

Luffy grinned and dug in as Usopp sat across the table and watched him. "You know, Robin would like you."

"Who?"

"Robin. My friend. She likes old books too." He gestured to the stack on the counter.

Usopp huffed. "I only have those because of my job."

"They're a load of bullshit, though."

"Those things are priceless and hold a lot of valuable information."

"But most of them are wrong."

"You've read them?" Usopp challenged.

"Yeah. Well, some of them."

Usopp frowned, "Yeah, didn't you say your father made you read them?"

"Mm hm." Luffy nodded around a mouthful.

Usopp tapped his chin in thought. "How does that work? You said you're a hybrid, and I'm assuming one of your parents was a vampire. But vampires are infertile."

"But I told you I'm not a vampire." Luffy said.

"And you won't tell us what you are." Usopp said. "I'm making assumptions, working with what I know. And I know that you act like a vampire compared to any other supernatural creature out there."

Luffy pouted, but continued to shovel rice into his mouth. "What about you? Why are you a hunter?"

Usopp drummed his fingers on the table. "I've never been asked that before."

Luffy shrugged, "You've been asking me all these questions. It's only fair that I get to ask some too. Like… Where's your headquarters?"

"Like I'm going to tell you that." Usopp said.

"Then answer my first question." Luffy said. "Why are you a hunter. There's got to be a reason, because you can choose to be one. We can't help what we are, but you can. So why?"

Usopp looked down at the table, "My… My father was turned when I was younger, bitten by a werewolf."

"Your Dad?"

Usopp nodded. "I was five. And then a year later, my mother died. The hunters are the ones who showed up, and there was magic residue in her body. She was killed by a witch. The hunters took me in."

"So you were raised as one?" Luffy surmised.

"Pretty much."

"What's your Dad's name?" Luffy questioned.

"Why does that matter?"

"Because I know the local pack. If he's with them, I might know them."

Usopp blinked. "Yassop."

Luffy laughed brightly, "I do know him. He's awesome. So you're the one he always talks about."

"He talks about me?" Usopp asked.

"All the time." Luffy said. "He said he misses you."

"Really?" Usopp asked quietly.

Luffy nodded, and Usopp was inclined to believe him. From what he had said so far, there was nothing that went against him telling the truth. "Do you want to see him?"

Usopp wanted to say yes. He hadn't seen his father in years. But he still had qualms about willingly meeting a werewolf. "I…"

Luffy reached across the table and placed a hand over his, "You can wait to answer. He's really awesome, though. You should meet Shanks, too! He's the Alpha."

Usopp barely registered the contact, "So did this Shanks guy turn him?"

Luffy shook his head. "There are a few rogues in the area. Shanks takes in the people who were turned by them."

"That's… That's actually…"

"Not evil?" Luffy questioned.

"…Yeah."

"If you want to, I know where they live. They didn't leave town."

Usopp smiled, momentarily forgetting that the person he was talking to was dangerous. "Thanks."

Luffy grinned again and went back to his food. When Luffy finished, Usopp asked him to help with their current job, translating the old texts.

"It's hard to understand this old gibberish," Usopp grumbled. "How the hell did you learn?"

Luffy shrugged, "I started learning it when I was really young. My mother spoke English, but Dad speaks this stuff."

"Why?"

"Because he's really old fashioned. Well, his superiors are. He doesn't really care, but I had to learn it to earn their approval."

"That's… Well, you are over a century old. And I still don't know what you are."

Luffy laughed and didn't answer, reaching over Usopp's shoulder and turning his page. "Where'd you get this book?"

"The library at headquarters. Why?"

"Because this one's accurate."

Usopp faced him, "I thought you said that none of these were right."

"Gimme that," Luffy pulled the book from Usopp's grasp and frowned, looking wary. He turned to the front cover, his eyes moving quickly across the page, and then opened the front cover.

"What's wrong?"

"This thing is really old, but it… Ace and I weren't born, they couldn't have known about…"

"Hey," Usopp waved a hand in front of Luffy's face. "Are you alright?"

Luffy blinked a few times, clearing his head. "Yeah. I need to talk to Robin, right now."

"Your friend?"

"Yeah." He stood and all but ran into the bathroom, tearing off his bandages and breaking the scab. He placed a bloody handprint on the mirror. "Robin?"

"Luffy!" A relieved voice exclaimed. Usopp yelped and ducked beneath the counter. "The connection is more secure this time. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He held up the book, "Is this the book your old coven leader had?"

"It is." The woman on the other side of the mirror said, her voice calm but sounding awed. "Where did you find that? It's been missing ever since she disappeared."

Luffy glanced down at Usopp, "Do you know where the library got it?"

"No!" Usopp squeaked.

He heard the woman laugh lightly. "Well, you have it. That is amazing. Now, where are you?"

"Uh, I don't know the address. Downtown. I'm fine. And you're with Ace?"

"That's right. He's in front of me, actually. Do you want to speak to him?"

"Yeah."

A new voice could be heard, this one male. "How much trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"Hey…" Luffy protested. "You've gotten into worse."

"Yeah, well that's in the past. This is happening right now. I hope you've been avoiding any hunters. The big guy has been moving around." Luffy laughed sheepishly, and Ace groaned. "You met him?"

Luffy held up his hands. "I lost. But I'm alive. He underestimated me."

"Big guy?" Usopp repeated, before shooting up. He hit his head on the underside of the counter before standing fully. "You were attacked by Akainu?!"

"You know his name?" Luffy asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Ace demanded.

Usopp held his hands up and backed away, "Innocent?"

Luffy laughed, "This is Usopp. He's my friend."

"And what are you?" Ace asked.

"Human?" Usopp said hesitantly.

The man on the other side of the mirror sighed and pressed a hand against his face. "Just don't do anything unusually stupid, Lu."

Luffy laughed, "I won't. I'll see you soon."

The connection broke abruptly, the mirror showing the hunter and vampire instead of the people Luffy knew. Luffy picked up the book, holding it protectively to his chest. "I need to keep this book."

"It's not mine to give away," Usopp said.

"It's powerful, and can be dangerous. Especially in the hands of the hunters. I don't think you guys understand."

Usopp shook his head, "Look, keeping it would just draw more suspicion. Keeping you here is dangerous enough. If anyone shows up, we're screwed."

Luffy pouted, "I don't care. If this is translated, it'll only cause disaster."

Usopp sighed, "What kind of disaster?"

Luffy hesitated, debating the severity. Was it worth it to tell a hunter? The hunter seemed trustworthy enough. Luffy could tell that much. "How… How much do you know about the ancient races?"

"You mean the Ancients?" Usopp asked. "Just the old legends."

Luffy glanced down at the book, "This book was written by one of the Ancients."

Usopp froze, his face paling dramatically. "What?!"

"This book disappeared with Robin's old coven leader, nineteen years ago." Luffy explained. "It holds a lot of the secrets of our world. Including the movements of the Ancients. It's dangerous."

"For you?"

Luffy shook his head, "For you. I know you guys are really impulsive, and if you found out where they are right now, you'd attack."

"They would. What's wrong with that?"

"You'd all die."


End file.
